Shardul Thakur can outperform seniors during West Indies tour: Jeff Thomson

Mumbai: Australian pace legend Jeff Thomson was all praise for Shardul Thakur, and said the Mumbai pacer could outshine some of the established Indian pacers if given a chance with the Indian team. “I don’t really follow your bowlers except for this one over here (Shardul), who hasn’t played yet. But I will tell you here and now, if he gets a game, he’ll do as good as anybody,” Thomson was quoted as saying at an event organised by the MCA-IDBI Bowling Foundation, in which the former Australian pacer will act as the head coach. “Don’t be surprised, if he gets a game (in the tour of West Indies), that he does better than the ones that are out there. That’s coming from me,” added Thomson. [caption id=“attachment_2812626” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File photo of Shardul Thakur. BCCI[/caption] The retired pacer, considered one of the fastest bowlers of all time, went on to add that he would help Shardul prepare for the upcoming tour, comprising four-Test matches between India and West Indies. “The wickets (in West Indies) have changed, and are slow, probably similar to what he has been bowling on over here. What he may not know is some of the batsmen. So I’ll find out what the West Indies batsmen’s weaknesses are,” added the New South Welshman, who has 200 wickets from 51 Tests to his credit. Thakur, who earned his maiden call-up to the senior team to become the only uncapped player in the squad, also spoke of receiving valuable tips on fast bowling from the retired speedster, especially about the importance of an aggressive approach towards bowling. “There are a few very valuable tips which I got from Jeff Thompson, like being aggressive, staying aggressive, and most importantly, when you don’t get wickets, becoming more aggressive,” the Mumbai pacer told Firstpost. Thomson is currently in the city for his second stint as the head coach of the MCA-IDBI Bowling Foundation, for which he was roped in last year. Eight bowlers from the camp will then fly to Bengaluru, where they are scheduled to train further with Thomson in a programme organised by the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA).